For the second of six interviews on vegan parenting, Lauren Lockey interviewed Karen Riley, another local to Park City, and her baby boy Jack. See the interview below:

LL: What inspired you to become vegan and what is the biggest change you noticed in yourself?
KR: The health benefits!! The physician I work with is plant based. I attended one of his presentations when I first started working with him and have never looked back! The biggest change that I have noticed in myself is that I don’t get ‘hangry’ anymore right before meal times. I also can eat as many fruits and veggies as I want!

LL: Did you have cravings during your pregnancy and what were your amazing vegan alternatives?
KR: I didn’t have any animal product cravings! Though I did eat my fair share of pineapples! Also, I couldn’t/can’t live without ice cream – Ben and Jerry’s non-dairy!!

LL: Did you find it difficult to find vegan prenatals?
KR: I did find it difficult to find vegan prenatal. Many of the prenatals are not vegan. I ended up just taking folic acid (along with my normal B12 and vitamin D) as I was eating a very balanced plant based diet that contained everything I needed!

LL: What has been/what will be your biggest obstacle in raising a vegan baby?
KR: My little guy is just 5 months old right now. He is exclusively breastfed. We will be introducing foods soon, so stay tuned!

LL: What foods do you feed Jack to make sure there is adequate nutrition? What about milk/formula alternatives?
KR: Right now, we are just doing breast milk. He is right on track for growth with mom’s vegan milk!

LL: How will you handle the social pressures your child receives about eating meat and dairy?
KR: I find this to be such an interesting topic! Why do kids have to eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese!? What about the need for social pressure I make sure the child is getting adequate servings of fruits and vegetables and real food! 😊

LL: What will you say when Jack makes the connection that meat, dairy, eggs and fish comes from animals?
KR: 😬 coming from the health perspective, I haven’t formulated an approach to this yet!

LL: How do you respond to people/doctors that say “you are hurting your baby”?
KR: It’s unfortunate that individuals and providers feel that way. It is also a bummer that health care providers get such limited nutrition education in their schooling and therefore are not completely educated on the topic.

LL: What resources/blog/websites/books helped you the most?
KR: minimalistbaker.com, nutritionfacts.org. I also enjoyed reading Skinny Bitch bun in the oven as well as Vegan Pregnancy survival guide.

Please join in the conversation by leaving a comment or question below.

Despite contrary beliefs, a whole food plant only vegan lifestyle is absolutely healthy for you and your baby. Lauren Lockey sat down with 6 local mothers and mothers to be who follow a vegan lifestyle to discuss their experiences in pregnancy and raising their children vegan. These interviews will be shared one by one throughout the next few months. This was in collaboration with Raise Vegan. See the first interview with Meatless in the Mountains Jennifer Kilcomons, mother to one, below:

LL: What inspired you to become vegan and what is the biggest change you noticed in yourself?
JK: When my family got a dog for the first time, spending time with that little puppy inspired me to become vegan. The biggest change was a feeling of ‘peace’ and that I had figured out one of the meanings of life!

LL: Did you have cravings during your pregnancy and what were your amazing vegan alternatives?
JK: I had cravings for sweets, and my go-to was Whole Foods vegan chocolate chip cookies, they are amazing!

LL: Did you find it difficult to find vegan prenatals?
JK: Not at all – I just did some researching online and could find what I needed either online or at Whole Foods.

LL: What has been/what will be your biggest obstacle in raising a vegan baby?
JK: I truly believe there are no obstacles! It’s very easy!

LL: What foods do you feed Sierra to make sure there is adequate nutrition? What about milk/formula alternatives?
JK: She drinks soy milk and almond milk, and eats fruits, veggies, whole grains, lentils, beans, sweet potatoes, almond butter, peanut butter and avocados. We also give her a multi vitamin and probiotic mixed in her soy milk every morning.

LL: How will you handle the social pressures Sierra receives about eating meat and dairy?
JK: So far it has been easy, she is so young so she is always with me and I bring her food everywhere. It will be challenging when she goes to school and goes to friend’s houses, but as long as we surround ourselves with kind, understanding friends and family we should not have any problems.

LL: What will you say when Sierra makes the connection that meat, dairy, eggs and fish comes from animals?
JK: Right now we’re just teaching her to love animals, when she makes the connection we will explain that she does not have to eat these foods and hopefully she’ll understand because she loves animals, and she’s not used to that food anyways.

LL: How do you respond to people/doctors that say “you are hurting your baby”?
JK: I try to keep it short and just let them know she gets plenty of protein and vitamins from her food, drinks and vitamins. She is happy, healthy, chubby cheeks and smiles, so seeing her speaks for itself.

Sage Mountain’s co-founder Lauren Lockey with plant based athlete Craig Gordon talked about health, movies, and how to live longer while being a better friend to our mother Earth. Click here for more information about the film What The Health.

Every so often we are honored to highlight people within the Utah community who have made changes in their lifestyle, see the benefits, and seek to share it with others.

A few weeks ago I had the great opportunity to interview Andy Krumel who not only lost 15 pounds from reducing his consumption of animal products, but also feels happier and has more energy! Read below to find out more!

Sage Mountain:First, tell us a little about yourself.. Your name, age, where you are from, what you do, why you reside in Park City.

Andy Krumel: My name is Andy Krumel and I am 53 years old. I have lived in Park City for three years. Before that I lived in the San Francisco bay area where I worked in the software industry. We now live full time in Park City for the great life is provides: clean air, great outdoor activities, and a vibrant community.

SM: When and why did you decide to reduce your consumption of animal products?

AK:5/1/2016 – That is the date I heard Dr. Joel Fuhrman speak at the Park City library. He made a compelling case for changing my diet in so many ways that seemed easy and made scientific sense. One of his main points was to reduce animal product consumption to no more than 10% of ones diet to greatly reduce the risk of cancer.

SM: Wow that statement is quite compelling so what was the process like? Was it difficult for you to make these changes?

AK: My wife and I went to the grocery store that night, we needed to make a trip anyway, and loaded up on beans, walnuts, and vegetables. Meat and cheese were central to my eating habits before changing my diet. Now, I go many days in a row without eating any meat without conscious effort.

SM: How did your family/friends respond to you making these changes?

AK: No real reaction. This is not surprising given how many dietary restrictions people have these days.

AK: Changing to Dr. Fuhrman’s diet resulted in increased energy and I have lost 15 pounds. The decreased weight is strictly the result of the diet, for if anything I have increased the amount I eat and have not altered my exercise regimen. Oh, and my sense of smell seems to have improved which is nice since it has never been very good – really makes life more enjoyable.

SM: 15 pounds without altering your exercise?! I guess the statement is true that it’s 80% nutrition and 20% exercise huh? What do you eat on a typical day then?

AK: Breakfast: fruit smoothie (reduced amount due to diet), paleo granola, fruit, and nuts. Occasionally have an egg or cheese.

Lunch and dinner: some combination of vegetable soup, beans, and salads. Might have some meat when we go out to eat which is not very often. Surprisingly, we have found meal prep times are greatly reduced on the new diet. We make sure to include chia and flax seeds, raw onions, and cooked mushrooms daily.

SM: Do you exercise? Is it more often than before since you have more energy?

AK: For exercise I lift weights and run three miles 3x per week. During the summer I will go on several mountain bike rides in the mountains several times a week. During the winter we vigorously walk to the Park City Mountain resort on powder days!

SM: Have you visited a doctor since you have made these dietary changes? What are their thoughts?

AK: No doctor visits.

SM: How long did it take you to really “settle in” to this way of eating? Do you ever think about going back to how you ate before?

AK:Settled in from day one. Crazy considering how different the Fuhrman diet is from my previous eating habits. In my version, so as not to speak for what Dr. Fuhrman intended, I do not count calories or engage in any portion control. If I am hungry then I eat.

SM:Love that! It makes sense to eat when you are actually hungry! Do you plan to stick with it now that you have witnessed the benefits?

AK: Of course. There is no going back.

SM: What is your advice to those seeking to make changes in their diet?

AK: Go hear Dr. Fuhrman speak or read one of his books. He has a long history of working with patients with severe heart disease and has worked with premier medical research institutions to perform scientific studies concerning the effects of diet on heart disease and cancer rates. The results are simply stunning and eye opening.

SM: I agree! I was able to hear him speak last winter and he is super knowledgeable! Is there anything else you would like to add before we close?

AK: I have always been one of those people that could not fathom making dietary changes if I looked and felt healthy. Well, we should never stop striving for improvement and why shouldn’t diet be in that mix? The change was easy, I feel better, love the taste of our food, and I have increased confidence our lives will be active for longer.

SM:Thanks so much for your time Andy! Have fun mountain biking this summer!

Inspiring stories like Andy’s are happening around us all the time. Do you have a story? We enjoy sharing and spreading the love whether it be for your health, the environment, or the animals. We would love to hear from you! Never hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns in transitioning to a plant based lifestyle. We are here and excited to help in any way possible!